


VII. CORAZON

by ghostfacekillmonger



Series: CHUNK. [7]
Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:42:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23383234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostfacekillmonger/pseuds/ghostfacekillmonger
Summary: Who is that your heart beats for?
Series: CHUNK. [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1476836
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	VII. CORAZON

[  _ 21 Months Ago _ \- Oakland, CA]

Erik had been to the doctor with Gabby plenty of times before, but things were starting to change as she entered her final trimester. Gabby winced and reached out for Erik’s hand as the technician spread the cold gel on her belly. He grabbed it reluctantly. 

“Do we want to find out the sex of Baby Stevens today?”

“Yes!” Gabby squeezed Erik’s fingers lightly and squealed. He was never sure what to expect from her as they got further into the pregnancy. She had snapped on him earlier that morning for not making her toast dark enough, so he made her six slices before she finally decided to eat a bowl of cereal. She cried and complained all the way to the obstetrician's office and had only regained composure just before the doctor entered. Then again, the more Erik thought about it, the more it seemed like she hadn’t changed that much at all.

Erik drew in a quick breath when the warped sounds of the baby’s heartbeat filled the room. It still shocked him that there was a living being with half of his DNA developing inside of her.

Gabby belched and held her chest. “Oh, excuse me! I’ve been having crazy heartburn, is that normal?”

“Unfortunately so. Baby’s growing and putting some pressure on your stomach which pushes those acids up.” Dr. Karimi was a sweet woman with a very gentle voice. She always knew how to ease their anxieties. “I’m sorry, I know it’s very uncomfortable.” 

Erik released Gabby’s hand and sat back in his chair. He watched the screen intently as the technician moved the wand around his girlfriend’s round belly. It was still hard for him to believe he would be someone’s father and in a few short months, he would be holding a tiny human in his own two hands. He read that at six months the baby would be around the size of an ear of corn. Taste buds and eyelashes were beginning to form. He prayed the baby wouldn’t have his wild eyebrows. 

His thoughts quickly turned left when he started to imagine himself in a Miami doctor’s office with a different woman. The first one he dreamed of building a family with. And even though he hadn’t seen her for over ten years, she was starting to cross his mind daily.

“Let’s see, we have a sweet little nose right here. And, oh! Looks like someone’s saying ‘hello’!”

The baby’s tiny hand was lifted from their side, displaying five perfect fingers. Gabby and Erik both gasped and giggled at their child’s display. Erik had imagined a lot of things for his life, but becoming a father never seemed like a possibility. If he had stayed in Florida, living the same life, he might have been dead by now. Maybe his grandmother was right to send him away. 

“Hi, baby. Daddy’s here.” The words cracked out, barely above a whisper. Erik couldn’t hold back his smile. And he definitely couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy.

“Erik! Erik, look!” Gabby rapidly tapped his arm as the ultrasound wand slid over her stomach.

Dr. Karimi looked at the screen, and then to the new parents, with a soft smile. “Looks like we’re having a girl.”

-;-;-

“I’m stuck on ‘C’ names for some reason,” Gabby said. The ultrasound printouts of Girl Stevens were displayed on the kitchen table as Gabby clicked through baby naming websites on her laptop. “Cadence...Caitlyn? How do you feel about Caitlyn, babe?”

Erik took a deep inhale of the onions and peppers he had started to saute for dinner. “Sounds like a white girl. I don’t like it.”

“You’re going to make this difficult aren’t you?”

“I don’t plan on making anything difficult. You asked me a question and I answered. I don’t like the name. Next.”

“You don’t have to be so nasty…”

Erik sighed, but not loud enough for her to hear, lest he is accused of having an attitude. Gabby had always been temperamental but the pregnancy amplified her moodiness to dangerous levels. He was understanding to an extent but it was exhausting.

“What about Chloe?” Erik suggested. He smiled to himself as he tossed slices of chicken breast into the pan. Even just speaking her name brought him joy.

“Who the fuck is Chloe? I know you didn’t pull that out of your ass.”

“A girl I grew up with in Miami…”

“You want to name our child after one of your old girlfriends?! Her ass is probably dead now if she was dealing with you back then.”

“Why would you even -- nevermind, Gabrielle. Just nevermind. Forget I even said it.”

“Maybe you should have stayed in Miami, that’s all you ever talk about. It’s almost like you don’t want to be here with me.” Gabby slammed her laptop closed and pushed away from the table. “And I don’t want fajitas anymore. I’m about to order wings.”

It took a supernatural level of restraint for Erik not to slam his head against his kitchen cabinet as Gabby retreated upstairs. Just a few more months until the baby arrived, then a lifetime of Gabby and her mouth after that. He hoped he could convince himself the relationship was worth it. But for a moment, he did consider what she said. Erik talked about Miami often - about the Cuban food and his old neighborhood. And he thought often about his old friends, including Chloe. He was pretty well off now. He had found some family and a career he loved. Why didn’t he just go back to Miami and visit? What was stopping him?

While the chicken and spices simmered in the pan, Erik grabbed his phone.

There’s no way her number could still be the same. After all these years she surely would have changed it, dodging some crazy ex-boyfriend or bill collectors. He was still surprised he remembered it so well. The ten digits lived deep in the recesses of his mind but he dialed them with ease. Like second nature.

The phone trilled for a long time. He fully expected to get a dial tone or some gruff old man wondering who was tying up his line. But something wouldn’t let him hang up just yet. Even if she did answer, Erik wondered if she would really want to hear from him. After years of radio silence, what would he say? How are you? I miss you? I love you? I’m sorry?

He looked down at the digital screen as it continued to trill. 

And then it stopped.

_ “We’re sorry. The number you have dialed has been disconnected.” _


End file.
